Control mechanism for clothes washing machines



Oct. 29, 1957 1 E. HINTON 2,811,034

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR CLOTHES WASHING MACHINES Filed Jan. 18, 1955 2Sheets-Sheet l zz forne gs.

Oct. 29, 1957 L. E. HINTON ,8

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United States P CONTROL MECHANISM FOR CLOTHES WASHING MACHINES Louis E.Hinton, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, assignor to Gilson Manufacturing Co.Limited, Guelph, Ontario, Canada Application January 18, 1955, SerialNo. 482,624

1 Claim. (Cl. 68-133) This invention relates to improvements in clotheswashing machines and particularly to motor driven machines of this typehaving a pump by means of which water may be removed from the tub of thewashing machine and which is driven by the motor which also operates thewashing mechanism. The invention relates particularly to manuallycontrolled washing machines of this type, as distinguished fromautomatic washing machines.

One of the objects of this invention is to improve and simplify theoperation of a hand-controlled clothes washing machine by providing themachine with a single lever which may be moved into a neutral positionin which neither the pump nor agitator is in operation, into anotherposition in which only the agitator only is operated and into a thirdposition in which both the agitator and the pump are operated forremoving water from the tub of the machine. Another object is to providea simplified control mechanism which is of sturdy construction andreliable in operation. It is also an object of this invention to providea control mechanism for a clothes washing machine by means of which itis possible to operate the agitator while the pump is in operation so asto keep the solid matter resulting from washing of the clothes insuspension when the water is being removed and thus avoid depositing orprecipitation of such matter in the tub in the form of a sludge whichmight cause plugging of the pump. A further object is to provide amechanism by means of which the agitator of the washer is yieldinglymaintained in driving connection With the motor by means of a spring,and is disconnected from the motor by a positive actuation of thecontrol lever. It is also an object to provide a washing machine of thistype in which the control lever is formed to shift the pump bodily intoand out of driving relation to the motor.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription of one embodiment of the invention and the novel featureswill be particularly pointed out hereinafter in connection with theappended claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fi l is a fragmentary side elevation of the washing machine providedwith control mechanism embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional plan view thereof, on an enlargedscale, on line 2-2, of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation, thereof on line 33, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation, on a still larger scale, on line 44,Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional elevation similar to a portion of Fig.4 and showing the parts in different positions.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional elevation thereof, on line 66, Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1, I have shown a portion of a washing machine including a tub 7and a skirt or housing portion 8 below the tub which contains thedriving and actuating mechanism for the washing machine. This housing.is

generally made of sheet metal in cylindrical form and supports a crossbrace 9 and a second or clutch lever brace 10 secured to and extendingat an angle to the cross brace. There is also supported by the housing 8of the machine the usual gear case 11 containing gears which drive anupwardly extending shaft having the usual clutch spline 12 securedthereto. The driven shaft of the gear case may be connected by a clutchto a shaft 14 which extends through the bottom of the tub 7 and operatesan agitator 15 of any suitable or usual construction. Another spline 17is formed near the lower end of the agitator shaft 14, and a sleeve 18with internal teeth or splines is movable into an upper position shownin Fig.4 in which it engages only with the upper spline 17, and into alower position shown in Fig. 5, in which the sleeve 18 also connectswith the spline of the driven shaft of the gear case, thus coupling thetwo splines for driving the agitator 15.

The coupling sleeve 18 of the clutch is provided with upper and lowerflanges 20 between which a forked portion of a clutch lever 21 engages.This lever, in the construction shown, is of substantially invertedU-shape and is pivoted at 22 to an upwardly extending post 24 welded orotherwise secured to the clutch lever brace 10. The other end of theclutch lever 21 is yieldingly urged upwardly by any suitable means, suchfor example as a coil spring 25. Consequently, if the clutch lever isfree to swing about its pivot 22., the spring 25 will urge the leverinto a position, such as shown in Fig. 5, in which the sleeve or collar18 engages the lower spline 12 and connects the same with the upperspline 17, thus driving the agitator 15 from the driven shaft of thegear case.

27 represents an electric motor by means of which the machine may bedriven in any suitable manner and which is mounted on the undersurfaceof the cross brace 9. The shaft of the motor may, for example, beprovided with a pair of pulleys 28 and 29, the pulley 28 being connectedby means of a belt 30 with a pulley 31 secured on a shaft 32 which isthe driving shaft of the gears within the gear case 11. The other pulley29 drives a belt 34- which in turn drives a pulley 35 secured to theshaft of a pump 36. The pulley 35 is preferably of the type usuallyemployed with flat belts so that the V-belt 34 can be more readilydisengaged from this pulley.

This pump is movably mounted so as to move into and out of drivingrelation to the motor 27. In the construction shown, the pump is movabletoward and from the motor27 for loosening or tightening the belt 34 insuch a manner that when the belt 34 is loose, the pump will not bedriven. In the particular construction shown, the pump is pivotallymounted on a bracket 40 secured on the inner surface of the housing 8,the bracket 40 having a pair of outwardly extending arms 41 which formpivotal supports for the pump. For this purpose, the casing of the pumpmay be provided with an outwardly extending rib 42 which terminates in asleeve or tubular part 43 arranged'between the arms 41 and pivotallyconnected therewith by means of a bolt 44. Any other means for movablymounting the pump may be provided. The housing of the pump is alsoprovided with an upwardly extending plate 45 and a spring 46 secured toone end to the plate 45 and at its other end to a stationary part of themachine, such as a pin or post 47 (Fig. 3), extending downwardly fromthe cross brace & This spring yieldingly urges the pump to swing in aclockwise direction in Fig. 2 for moving the pump toward the drivingmotor 27 so as to slacken the belt 34 sufliciently so as to prevent thebelt from driving the pulley 35 of the pump.

48 represents a combined brake and belt support to hold the belt 34 incorrect relation to the cylindrical pulley 35. The pump is shown inFigs. 2 and 3 in its idle or non-:-

3 driving position, and in this position the brake 48 bears against theface of the pulley underneath the belt 34, and thus holds the belt up inposition to contact with the pulley. When the pump is swung away fromthe motor to tighten the belt 34, the pulley 35 moves out of engagementwith the brake 48, but the belt still remains in contact with the brake.This brake may be merely in the form of a disk of rubber or othersuitable material.

The operation of the apparatus may be controlled by means of a controllever having on one end thereof an upwardly extending handle portion 50which is preferably formed integral with a horizontal portion 51 of thecontrol lever, the rear end of which is provided with an upwardlyextending arm 52 arranged underneath the clutch lever 21. The controllever bears at one end in an aperture formed in the housing 8 and nearits opposite end in an upstanding lug 53 or other bearing supportsecured on the clutch lever brace 10.

The part 51 of the lever is provided with a cam 55 rigidly securedthereto in position to engage the upwardly extending plate 45 of thepump. This cam is so shaped that when the clutch lever is in uprightposition, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the cam 55 permits thespring 46 to swing the pump about its pivotal mounting to such an extentas to slacken the belt 34 and thus avoid driving of the pump. When onthe other hand, the end 50 of the control lever is swung to the leftinto the broken line position in Fig. 1, the cam will be swung into aposition to engage the plate 45 and move the pump about its pivot to theleft in Figs. 2 and 3, into a position to tighten the belt 34 and thusdrive the pump.

The inner up-turned end 52 of the control lever which engages theundersurface of the clutch lever 21 will be in upright position, asshown in Fig. 4, when the handle portion 50 thereof is in uprightposition as shown in Fig. 1. When in this position, the end 52 is inengagement with an upwardly extending depression or recess 57, in whichposition the clutch engaging end of the clutch lever is raised to itsmaximum extent, and in this position, which is shown in Fig. 4, themovable clutch sleeve 18 engages only the spline 17 and is out ofengagement with the lower driving spline 12 so that the agitator 15 willnot be operated. Consequently, when the control lever is in thisposition, neither the agitator nor the pump will operate. When, on theother hand, the handle portion 50 of the control lever is swung into theright-hand position shown in Fig. 1, the upstanding end 52 of thecontrol lever will be in the position shown in Fig. 5, in which thespring swings the clutch lever 21 about its pivot 22 into a position inwhich the clutch sleeve 18 is in full engagement with the lower spline17 so that the agitator will be driven. In this position, the cam 55will be in the position shown in Fig. 6 in which the spring 46 swingsthe pump about its pivot toward the motor, thus moving the pump pulley35 out of driving engagement with its belt 34. Consequently, the pumpwill not be in operation when the control lever 50 is in the right handposition shown in Fig. l to cause the agitator or other washingmechanism to operate.

When the handle portion 50 of the control lever is swung from its fullline position to the left in Fig. l, the upstanding end 52 of the leverwill be moved into the broken line position shown in Fig. 4. The limitof movementof the control lever is determined by means of a downwardlyextending stop projection 59 which may, for example, be formed bypunching out a part of the clutch lever 21 and bending the samedownwardly. When the upstanding part 52 of the lever is in thisposition, the cam 55 will be turned to a position to swing the pumpagainst the action of the spring 46 into position to tighten the belt 34so that the pump Will be driven. When in this position, the spring 25will also swing the clutch lever into a position in which the clutchsleeve 18 engages with the lower spline 12, thus resuiting in theoperation of the agitator or other washing mechanism when the pump is inoperation. This is desired, for the reason that any solids which may bein the water in the tub of the washer will be prevented by the agitatorfrom settling and thus possibly forming a sludge or relatively solidmass which may plug the pump. If, however, it is desired to withdraw thewater from the tub without operating the agitator, it is, of course, aneasy matter to remove the agitator from its shaft 14 since this isrecommended after each washing operation to enable the agitator as wellas all parts of the tub to be cleaned.

In order to hold the control lever in correct relation to the mechanism,the part 51 of this lever may be provided with a washer or sleeve 64secured thereto and a spring 65 is arranged between this washer orsleeve and the housing 8. This spring urges the lever into a position inwhich the handle portion 50 thereof will be urged toward the front ofthe machine into contact with a plate 62. By means of this construction,the control lever will be yieldingly held in correct position to actuatethe clutch lever and the pump.

The inlet of the pump 36 may be connected with the tub in any desiredmanner, for example, by means of a flexible hose 60 which may bepermanently connected with the bottom of the tub at one end and with theintake of the pump at its other end. This flexible hose permits swingingof the pump about its pivot. Similarly the discharge duct 61 of the pumpis made of flexible mate rial and extends as usual through a suitablehole in the housing 8 of the washing apparatus.

The construction described is easy to operate, and if desired, the plate62 may have the words pump and wash thereon at opposite sides thereof toindicate the direction in which the handle portion 50 of the controllever is to be swung to actuate either the pump or the washingmechanism. The single piece control lever is of strong and ruggedconstruction and when installed in a Washing machine is held againstexcessive endwise movement by arrangement of the upstanding portion 52between the two downwardly extending flanges of the U-shaped clutchlever. The control lever will, of course, be held by gravity in eitherits pump or washing positions and is yieldingly held in its neutralposition by means of the indentation 57 in the clutch lever.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials,and arrangements of parts which have been herein described andillustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be madeby those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of theinvention, as expressed in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A clothes washing machine having a tub and washing mechanism therein, apum a flow passage for con necting said pump with said tub for emptyingthe same, a motor, a belt drive connecting said motor with said pump, aclutch member driven by said motor, another clutch member for connectingand disconnecting said first mentioned clutch member with said washingmechanism, a control lever including a rotatable part extending belowsaid tub, a clutch lever mounted on said machine and extending crosswiseof said control lever, said clutch lever being pivoted on said machineand having one end thereof connected with said other clutch member, formoving the same into and out of positions in which said clutch is indriving or non-driving positions by swinging of said clutch lever aboutits pivot, said control lever having a part movable relatively to saidclutch lever when said control lever is turned into one position, forswinging said clutch lever into non-clutching position, a movablemounting for said pump on which said pump may move toward and from saidmotor for loosening and tightening its belt drive connection with saidmotor, and another part on said rotatable control lever which when swunginto a difierent position engages said pump for moving the same intobelt-tightening position, said belt drive comprising a drive shaft onsaid pump, said drive shaft bein provided with a pulley secured theretoand having its belt-engaging face flat in a direction transversethereof, a V-belt pulley on said motor, and a. combined brake andbelt-supporting member mounted in fixed position on said Washing machineand arranged below said belt and adjacent to said pulley of said pump,and which is engaged by said pump pulley to act as a brake when saidpump is moved toward said motor to slacken said belt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS MoreApr. 9, 1935 Frantz Apr. 14, 1942 Sheahan Jan. 9, 1951 Geldhof Feb. 6,1951 Gabrielson May 22, 1951 Share Apr. 20, 1954 Share Jan. 17, 1956

